dead duck
noun informal
A person or thing that is defunct or has no chance of success: travel promotions are a dead duck as far as marketing directors are concerned...
- However, in 1977, when a number of newspapers had questioned whether his team were dead ducks after a barren start to the season, they opted to confront criticism head-on.
- The Tories may be dead ducks election-wise but they can still throw a good fundraiser, as they showed last Thursday night in Glasgow when they banked #40,000.
- If they are going to charge £4.20 to go from Chandler's Ford to Southampton this service could be a dead duck.
Origin
From the old saying ‘never waste powder on a dead duck’.